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Shen J, Huang T, Zhang H, Lin W. Hydrochemical and isotopic characteristics of water sources for biological activity across a massive evaporite basin on the Tibetan Plateau: Implications for aquatic environments on early Mars. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 935:173442. [PMID: 38788948 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2024] [Revised: 04/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Covered by vast eolian landforms, gravel deposits, and playas, the worldwide typical evaporite deposit land, Qaidam Basin, in northwestern China is analogous to early Mars when the aridification process had lasted for millions of years since the end of a wetter climate. This study aims to investigate the chemical and isotopic characteristics of waters in an evaporite-rich environment, as well as the habitable conditions therein, that have undergone a transformation similar to early Mars. In May 2023, a total of 26 water samples were collected across the representative central axis of a longitudinal aridity gradient in the Qaidam Basin, including categories of meteoric water, freshwater, standing water accumulated after precipitation, salty lacustrine water, and hypersaline brines to inspect compounds made up of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, halogen, and metallic elements. As evaporation intensified, the salt types transformed from HCO3-Ca·Na to Cl·SO4-Na or ClMg. The dominance of carbonate will gradually be replaced by sulfate and chloride, leaving much more dilute and less detectable contents. The presence of trace ClO4-, ClO3-, ClO2-, and BrO3- was confirmed in a few of the sampled Qaidam waters, indicating the preservation of oxyhalides in waters within an arid region and possibly the presence of relevant microbial enzymes. The isotopes of water, carbonaceous, and nitrogenous compounds provide valuable references for either abiogenic or biogenic signatures. With undetectable amount, phosphorus was found to be the limiting nutrient in evaporative aquatic environments but not necessarily antibiosignatures. Overall, these results suggest that the paleo-lacustrine environments on Mars are more likely to preserve biosignatures if they feature the dominance of carbonate minerals, bioavailable nitrate, phosphorus, and organic carbon, the presence of thermodynamically unstable oxyhalides, and isotope ratios that point to the involvement of biological activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianxun Shen
- Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Tianming Huang
- Key Laboratory of Shale Gas and Geoengineering, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China; College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Huiqing Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China; College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Wei Lin
- Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China; College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
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Fifer LM, Wong ML. Quantifying the Potential for Nitrate-Dependent Iron Oxidation on Early Mars: Implications for the Interpretation of Gale Crater Organics. ASTROBIOLOGY 2024; 24:590-603. [PMID: 38805190 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2023.0109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Geological evidence and atmospheric and climate models suggest habitable conditions occurred on early Mars, including in a lake in Gale crater. Instruments aboard the Curiosity rover measured organic compounds of unknown provenance in sedimentary mudstones at Gale crater. Additionally, Curiosity measured nitrates in Gale crater sediments, which suggests that nitrate-dependent Fe2+ oxidation (NDFO) may have been a viable metabolism for putative martian life. Here, we perform the first quantitative assessment of an NDFO community that could have existed in an ancient Gale crater lake and quantify the long-term preservation of biological necromass in lakebed mudstones. We find that an NDFO community would have the capacity to produce cell concentrations of up to 106 cells mL-1, which is comparable to microbes in Earth's oceans. However, only a concentration of <104 cells mL-1, due to organisms that inefficiently consume less than 10% of precipitating nitrate, would be consistent with the abundance of organics found at Gale. We also find that meteoritic sources of organics would likely be insufficient as a sole source for the Gale crater organics, which would require a separate source, such as abiotic hydrothermal or atmospheric production or possibly biological production from a slowly turning over chemotrophic community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas M Fifer
- Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Astrobiology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Michael L Wong
- Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, DC, USA
- NHFP Sagan Fellow, NASA Hubble Fellowship Program, Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- NASA Nexus for Exoplanet System Science, Virtual Planetary Laboratory Team, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
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3
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Koyama S, Kamada A, Furukawa Y, Terada N, Nakamura Y, Yoshida T, Kuroda T, Vandaele AC. Atmospheric formaldehyde production on early Mars leading to a potential formation of bio-important molecules. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2397. [PMID: 38336798 PMCID: PMC10858170 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52718-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Formaldehyde (H2CO) is a critical precursor for the abiotic formation of biomolecules, including amino acids and sugars, which are the building blocks of proteins and RNA. Geomorphological and geochemical evidence on Mars indicates a temperate environment compatible with the existence of surface liquid water during its early history at 3.8-3.6 billion years ago (Ga), which was maintained by the warming effect of reducing gases, such as H2. However, it remains uncertain whether such a temperate and weakly reducing surface environment on early Mars was suitable for producing H2CO. In this study, we investigated the atmospheric production of H2CO on early Mars using a 1-D photochemical model assuming a thick CO2-dominated atmosphere with H2 and CO. Our results show that a continuous supply of atmospheric H2CO can be used to form various organic compounds, including amino acids and sugars. This could be a possible origin for the organic matter observed on the Martian surface. Given the previously reported conversion rate from H2CO into ribose, the calculated H2CO deposition flux suggests a continuous supply of bio-important sugars on early Mars, particularly during the Noachian and early Hesperian periods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shungo Koyama
- Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8578, Japan.
| | - Arihiro Kamada
- Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8578, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Furukawa
- Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8578, Japan
| | - Naoki Terada
- Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8578, Japan
| | - Yuki Nakamura
- Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tatsuya Yoshida
- Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8578, Japan
| | - Takeshi Kuroda
- Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8578, Japan
- Division for the Establishment of Frontier Sciences of Organization for Advanced Studies, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
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4
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Glidden A, Seager S, Petkowski JJ, Ono S. Can Isotopologues Be Used as Biosignature Gases in Exoplanet Atmospheres? Life (Basel) 2023; 13:2325. [PMID: 38137926 PMCID: PMC10744769 DOI: 10.3390/life13122325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Isotopologue ratios are anticipated to be one of the most promising signs of life that can be observed remotely. On Earth, carbon isotopes have been used for decades as evidence of modern and early metabolic processes. In fact, carbon isotopes may be the oldest evidence for life on Earth, though there are alternative geological processes that can lead to the same magnitude of fractionation. However, using isotopologues as biosignature gases in exoplanet atmospheres presents several challenges. Most significantly, we will only have limited knowledge of the underlying abiotic carbon reservoir of an exoplanet. Atmospheric carbon isotope ratios will thus have to be compared against the local interstellar medium or, better yet, their host star. A further substantial complication is the limited precision of remote atmospheric measurements using spectroscopy. The various metabolic processes that cause isotope fractionation cause less fractionation than anticipated measurement precision (biological fractionation is typically 2 to 7%). While this level of precision is easily reachable in the laboratory or with special in situ instruments, it is out of reach of current telescope technology to measure isotope ratios for terrestrial exoplanet atmospheres. Thus, gas isotopologues are poor biosignatures for exoplanets given our current and foreseeable technological limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Glidden
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Sara Seager
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Janusz J. Petkowski
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- JJ Scientific, Mazowieckie, 02-792 Warsaw, Poland
- Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Shuhei Ono
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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Schwander L, Brabender M, Mrnjavac N, Wimmer JLE, Preiner M, Martin WF. Serpentinization as the source of energy, electrons, organics, catalysts, nutrients and pH gradients for the origin of LUCA and life. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1257597. [PMID: 37854333 PMCID: PMC10581274 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1257597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Serpentinization in hydrothermal vents is central to some autotrophic theories for the origin of life because it generates compartments, reductants, catalysts and gradients. During the process of serpentinization, water circulates through hydrothermal systems in the crust where it oxidizes Fe (II) in ultramafic minerals to generate Fe (III) minerals and H2. Molecular hydrogen can, in turn, serve as a freely diffusible source of electrons for the reduction of CO2 to organic compounds, provided that suitable catalysts are present. Using catalysts that are naturally synthesized in hydrothermal vents during serpentinization H2 reduces CO2 to formate, acetate, pyruvate, and methane. These compounds represent the backbone of microbial carbon and energy metabolism in acetogens and methanogens, strictly anaerobic chemolithoautotrophs that use the acetyl-CoA pathway of CO2 fixation and that inhabit serpentinizing environments today. Serpentinization generates reduced carbon, nitrogen and - as newer findings suggest - reduced phosphorous compounds that were likely conducive to the origins process. In addition, it gives rise to inorganic microcompartments and proton gradients of the right polarity and of sufficient magnitude to support chemiosmotic ATP synthesis by the rotor-stator ATP synthase. This would help to explain why the principle of chemiosmotic energy harnessing is more conserved (older) than the machinery to generate ion gradients via pumping coupled to exergonic chemical reactions, which in the case of acetogens and methanogens involve H2-dependent CO2 reduction. Serpentinizing systems exist in terrestrial and deep ocean environments. On the early Earth they were probably more abundant than today. There is evidence that serpentinization once occurred on Mars and is likely still occurring on Saturn's icy moon Enceladus, providing a perspective on serpentinization as a source of reductants, catalysts and chemical disequilibrium for life on other worlds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loraine Schwander
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Biology Department, Math. -Nat. Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Max Brabender
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Biology Department, Math. -Nat. Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Natalia Mrnjavac
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Biology Department, Math. -Nat. Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Jessica L. E. Wimmer
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Biology Department, Math. -Nat. Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Martina Preiner
- Microcosm Earth Center, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology and Philipps-Universität, Marburg, Germany
| | - William F. Martin
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Biology Department, Math. -Nat. Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf, Germany
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6
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Ni Z, Arevalo R, Bardyn A, Willhite L, Ray S, Southard A, Danell R, Graham J, Li X, Chou L, Briois C, Thirkell L, Makarov A, Brinckerhoff W, Eigenbrode J, Junge K, Nunn BL. Detection of Short Peptides as Putative Biosignatures of Psychrophiles via Laser Desorption Mass Spectrometry. ASTROBIOLOGY 2023; 23:657-669. [PMID: 37134219 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2022.0138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Studies of psychrophilic life on Earth provide chemical clues as to how extraterrestrial life could maintain viability in cryogenic environments. If living systems in ocean worlds (e.g., Enceladus) share a similar set of 3-mer and 4-mer peptides to the psychrophile Colwellia psychrerythraea on Earth, spaceflight technologies and analytical methods need to be developed to detect and sequence these putative biosignatures. We demonstrate that laser desorption mass spectrometry, as implemented by the CORALS spaceflight prototype instrument, enables the detection of protonated peptides, their dimers, and metal adducts. The addition of silicon nanoparticles promotes the ionization efficiency, improves mass resolving power and mass accuracies via reduction of metastable decay, and facilitates peptide de novo sequencing. The CORALS instrument, which integrates a pulsed UV laser source and an Orbitrap™ mass analyzer capable of ultrahigh mass resolving powers and mass accuracies, represents an emerging technology for planetary exploration and a pathfinder for advanced technique development for astrobiological objectives. Teaser: Current spaceflight prototype instrument proposed to visit ocean worlds can detect and sequence peptides that are found enriched in at least one strain of microbe surviving in subzero icy brines via silicon nanoparticle-assisted laser desorption analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziqin Ni
- University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Anais Bardyn
- University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Soumya Ray
- University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Ryan Danell
- Danell Consulting, Winterville, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jacob Graham
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - Xiang Li
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - Luoth Chou
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
- Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Christelle Briois
- Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l'Environnement et de l'Espace, Orléans, France
| | - Laurent Thirkell
- Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l'Environnement et de l'Espace, Orléans, France
| | | | | | | | - Karen Junge
- University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Brook L Nunn
- University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
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7
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Schmitt-Kopplin P, Matzka M, Ruf A, Menez B, Chennaoui Aoudjehane H, Harir M, Lucio M, Hertzog J, Hertkorn N, Gougeon RD, Hoffmann V, Hinman NW, Ferrière L, Greshake A, Gabelica Z, Trif L, Steele A. Complex carbonaceous matter in Tissint martian meteorites give insights into the diversity of organic geochemistry on Mars. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadd6439. [PMID: 36630504 PMCID: PMC9833655 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add6439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
We report a huge organic diversity in the Tissint Mars meteorite and the sampling of several mineralogical lithologies, which revealed that the organic molecules were nonuniformly distributed in functionality and abundance. The range of organics in Tissint meteorite were abundant C3-7 aliphatic branched carboxylic acids and aldehydes, olefins, and polyaromatics with and without heteroatoms in a homologous oxidation structural continuum. Organomagnesium compounds were extremely abundant in olivine macrocrystals and in the melt veins, reflecting specific organo-synsthesis processes in close interaction with the magnesium silicates and temperature stresses, as previously observed. The diverse chemistry and abundance in complex molecules reveal heterogeneity in organic speciation within the minerals grown in the martian mantle and crust that may have evolved over geological time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin
- Technische Universität München, Chair of Analytical Food Chemistry, Freising-Weihenstephan 85354, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, Center for Astrochemical Studies, Garching 85748, Germany
- Helmholtz München, Analytical BioGeoChemistry, Neuherberg 85764, Germany
| | - Marco Matzka
- Helmholtz München, Analytical BioGeoChemistry, Neuherberg 85764, Germany
| | - Alexander Ruf
- Technische Universität München, Chair of Analytical Food Chemistry, Freising-Weihenstephan 85354, Germany
- Excellence Cluster ORIGINS, Boltzmannstraße 2, Garching 85748, Germany
- Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Butenandtstr. 5-13, Munich 81377, Germany
| | - Benedicte Menez
- Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRS - 1, rue Jussieu, Paris Cedex 05 75238, France
| | - Hasnaa Chennaoui Aoudjehane
- Faculty of Sciences Ain Chock, GAIA Laboratory, Hassan II University of Casablanca, km 8 Route d’El Jadida, Casablanca 20150, Morocco
| | - Mourad Harir
- Helmholtz München, Analytical BioGeoChemistry, Neuherberg 85764, Germany
| | - Marianna Lucio
- Helmholtz München, Analytical BioGeoChemistry, Neuherberg 85764, Germany
| | - Jasmine Hertzog
- Technische Universität München, Chair of Analytical Food Chemistry, Freising-Weihenstephan 85354, Germany
- Helmholtz München, Analytical BioGeoChemistry, Neuherberg 85764, Germany
| | - Norbert Hertkorn
- Helmholtz München, Analytical BioGeoChemistry, Neuherberg 85764, Germany
| | - Régis D. Gougeon
- UMR Procédés Alimentaires et Microbiologiques, Université de Bourgogne/AgroSupDijon, Institut Universitaire de la Vigne et du Vin Jules Guyot, Dijon 21000, France
| | - Victor Hoffmann
- Faculty of Geosciences, Dep. Geo- and Environmental Sciences, LMU, Muenchen, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Zelimir Gabelica
- Université de Haute Alsace, École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Mulhouse, F-68094 Mulhouse Cedex, France
| | - László Trif
- Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Institute of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Andrew Steele
- Earth and Planetary Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, 5251 Broad Branch Rd., Washington, DC 20015, USA
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8
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Coleine C, Delgado-Baquerizo M. Unearthing terrestrial extreme microbiomes for searching terrestrial-like life in the Solar System. Trends Microbiol 2022; 30:1101-1115. [PMID: 35568658 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2022.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 04/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The possibility of life elsewhere in the universe has fascinated humankind for ages. To the best of our knowledge, life, as we know it, is limited to planet Earth; yet current investigation suggests that life might be more common than previously thought. In this review, we explore extreme terrestrial analogue environments in the search for some notable examples of extreme organisms, including overlooked microbial groups such as viruses, fungi, and protists, associated with limits of life on Earth. This knowledge is integral to provide the foundational principles needed to predict what sort of Earth-like organisms we might find in the Solar System and beyond, and to understand the future and origins of life on Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Coleine
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy.
| | - Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo
- Laboratorio de Biodiversidad y Funcionamiento Ecosistémico. Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla (IRNAS), CSIC, Av. Reina Mercedes 10, E-41012, Sevilla, Spain; Unidad Asociada CSIC-UPO (BioFun). Universidad Pablo de Olavide, 41013 Sevilla, Spain.
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9
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Taguchi K, Gilbert A, Sherwood Lollar B, Giunta T, Boreham CJ, Liu Q, Horita J, Ueno Y. Low 13C- 13C abundances in abiotic ethane. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5790. [PMID: 36184637 PMCID: PMC9527245 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33538-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Distinguishing biotic compounds from abiotic ones is important in resource geology, biogeochemistry, and the search for life in the universe. Stable isotopes have traditionally been used to discriminate the origins of organic materials, with particular focus on hydrocarbons. However, despite extensive efforts, unequivocal distinction of abiotic hydrocarbons remains challenging. Recent development of clumped-isotope analysis provides more robust information because it is independent of the stable isotopic composition of the starting material. Here, we report data from a 13C-13C clumped-isotope analysis of ethane and demonstrate that the abiotically-synthesized ethane shows distinctively low 13C-13C abundances compared to thermogenic ethane. A collision frequency model predicts the observed low 13C-13C abundances (anti-clumping) in ethane produced from methyl radical recombination. In contrast, thermogenic ethane presumably exhibits near stochastic 13C-13C distribution inherited from the biological precursor, which undergoes C-C bond cleavage/recombination during metabolism. Further, we find an exceptionally high 13C-13C signature in ethane remaining after microbial oxidation. In summary, the approach distinguishes between thermogenic, microbially altered, and abiotic hydrocarbons. The 13C-13C signature can provide an important step forward for discrimination of the origin of organic molecules on Earth and in extra-terrestrial environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koudai Taguchi
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro, Tokyo, 152-8551, Japan.
| | - Alexis Gilbert
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro, Tokyo, 152-8551, Japan. .,Earth-Life Science Institute (WPI-ELSI), Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro, Tokyo, 152-8550, Japan.
| | - Barbara Sherwood Lollar
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3B1, Canada.,Institut de physique du globe de Paris (IPGP), Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Thomas Giunta
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3B1, Canada.,Univ Brest, CNRS, Ifremer, Geo-Ocean, F-29280, Plouzané, France
| | | | - Qi Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Ore Deposit Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550081, China
| | - Juske Horita
- Department of Geosciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA
| | - Yuichiro Ueno
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro, Tokyo, 152-8551, Japan. .,Earth-Life Science Institute (WPI-ELSI), Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro, Tokyo, 152-8550, Japan. .,Institute for Extra-cutting-edge Science and Technology Avant-garde Research (X-star), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka, 237-0061, Japan.
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10
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Reply to Schoell: Implications of a temperature trend in methane evolved from Cumberland during Mars evolved gas analyses experiments. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2207901119. [PMID: 35858466 PMCID: PMC9335256 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2207901119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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11
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Methane
13
C/
12
C isotope analyses with the SAM-EGA pyrolysis instrument suite on Mars
Curiosity
rover: A critical assessment. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2205344119. [PMID: 35858463 PMCID: PMC9335318 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2205344119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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12
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Organic carbon concentrations in 3.5-billion-year-old lacustrine mudstones of Mars. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2201139119. [PMID: 35759667 PMCID: PMC9271195 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2201139119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
This work presents the first quantification of bulk organic carbon in Mars surface sedimentary rocks, enabled by a stepped combustion experiment performed by the Curiosity Rover in Gale crater, Mars. The mudstone sample analyzed by Curiosity represents a previously habitable lacustrine environment and a depositional environment favorable for preservation of organics formed in situ and/or transported from a wide catchment area. Here we present the abundance of bulk organic carbon in these mudstone samples and discuss the contributions from various carbon reservoirs on Mars. The Sample Analysis at Mars instrument stepped combustion experiment on a Yellowknife Bay mudstone at Gale crater, Mars revealed the presence of organic carbon of Martian and meteoritic origins. The combustion experiment was designed to access refractory organic carbon in Mars surface sediments by heating samples in the presence of oxygen to combust carbon to CO2. Four steps were performed, two at low temperatures (less than ∼550 °C) and two at high temperatures (up to ∼870 °C). More than 950 μg C/g was released at low temperatures (with an isotopic composition of δ13C = +1.5 ± 3.8‰) representing a minimum of 431 μg C/g indigenous organic and inorganic Martian carbon components. Above 550 °C, 273 ± 30 μg C/g was evolved as CO2 and CO (with estimated δ13C = −32.9‰ to −10.1‰ for organic carbon). The source of high temperature organic carbon cannot be definitively confirmed by isotopic composition, which is consistent with macromolecular organic carbon of igneous origin, meteoritic infall, or diagenetically altered biomass, or a combination of these. If from allochthonous deposition, organic carbon could have supported both prebiotic organic chemistry and heterotrophic metabolism at Gale crater, Mars, at ∼3.5 Ga.
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13
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Vasavada AR. Mission Overview and Scientific Contributions from the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover After Eight Years of Surface Operations. SPACE SCIENCE REVIEWS 2022; 218:14. [PMID: 35399614 PMCID: PMC8981195 DOI: 10.1007/s11214-022-00882-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2021] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission, with its Curiosity rover, has been exploring Gale crater (5.4° S, 137.8° E) since 2012 with the goal of assessing the potential of Mars to support life. The mission has compiled compelling evidence that the crater basin accumulated sediment transported by marginal rivers into lakes that likely persisted for millions of years approximately 3.6 Ga ago in the early Hesperian. Geochemical and mineralogical assessments indicate that environmental conditions within this timeframe would have been suitable for sustaining life, if it ever were present. Fluids simultaneously circulated in the subsurface and likely existed through the dry phases of lake bed exposure and aeolian deposition, conceivably creating a continuously habitable subsurface environment that persisted to less than 3 Ga in the early Amazonian. A diversity of organic molecules has been preserved, though degraded, with evidence for more complex precursors. Solid samples show highly variable isotopic abundances of sulfur, chlorine, and carbon. In situ studies of modern wind-driven sediment transport and multiple large and active aeolian deposits have led to advances in understanding bedform development and the initiation of saltation. Investigation of the modern atmosphere and environment has improved constraints on the timing and magnitude of atmospheric loss, revealed the presence of methane and the crater's influence on local meteorology, and provided measurements of high-energy radiation at Mars' surface in preparation for future crewed missions. Rover systems and science instruments remain capable of addressing all key scientific objectives. Emphases on advance planning, flexibility, operations support work, and team culture have allowed the mission team to maintain a high level of productivity in spite of declining rover power and funding. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11214-022-00882-7.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashwin R. Vasavada
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA USA
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